On the Rockets: Team’s playoff hopes grounded for good

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As the Rockets’ last mathematical shred of playoff fantasy fell, unable to stand up to the latest loss in the late-season swoon, the Rockets were not about to appreciate the symmetry of the defeat.

It was unmistakable. The Rockets had stood up well to the Heat before the late pressure hit. They were quick and aggressive, moving the ball and shooting well. Chandler Parsons in particular was a bright spot, even amid the disappointment.

It all started to look familiar and foreboding. With the game on the line, the Rockets on Sunday were like the Rockets this season — promising for a while but inept at the end. When they reached the point in the game and season in which their fate would be decided, they fell apart, crashing to a 97-88 defeat that officially eliminated them from playoff contention.

The Heat — minus Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Mario Chalmers, who were resting for bigger and better things to come — rolled through the final minutes. The Rockets had gone from sixth in the West and a four-game winning streak to 10th with losses in seven of eight games.

By Sunday, there had been no remaining doubt of how they had come up short, but rarely has it been clearer. They were fine Sunday — and this season — along the way. When the pressure hit and opponents turned up the intensity, the Rockets crumbled.

“In this stretch, we weren’t able to close games,” Luis Scola said. “That’s one of the reasons we’re not in the playoffs.”

They weren’t able to close games and they weren’t able to close the season. Rockets coach Kevin McHale pointed to the chances on Sunday. With the lead, Goran Dragic, Chase Budinger and Patrick Patterson missed jumpers. Hit a few down the stretch and things might have been different, just as winning a few of the games they lost could have dramatically changed their fate.

Much of that on Sunday was due to LeBron James, who even without Bosh and Wade gave the Heat one more superstar than the Rockets can claim. James dominated the fourth quarter, scoring 11 of his 32 points in the final 6:14.

This was not only about James, at least not when the Rockets look back on the disintegration of the season. They had similarly collapsed against the relatively anonymous Hornets and even struggled in their win, at home against the Warriors.

With the game — as with the season — on the line, the Rockets came up short. In the final seven minutes on Sunday, after James had checked back in and began to put his foot on their throats, the Rockets went 3-of-10 with three turnovers and were outscored 24-9.

The Rockets rarely get easy shots. Their offense has long since become entirely reliant on pace and jump shots. The defense has shown few if any signs of progress, despite it being the primary emphasis.

For a third consecutive season and NBA-record sixth time, the Rockets could fall short of the playoffs with a winning record. But after another game like so many others, they could no longer feel as if they are close, even if they were in the standings. In the end, the playoff contenders — like the Heat — had left them in the dust.